In a desktop computer system, a computer user interacts with the computing system through a user interface. In the current age of graphical user interface, the computer user normally launches a desired computing application by selecting (through clicking or double clicking) an application short-cut icon on the computer screen. The short-cut icon itself is generally passive and the application to which this icon corresponds to, does not provide any interface to the computer user unless the application is in running state.
If the computer user expects an application to provide a continuous visual or other type of feedback, the computer user is required to run the application and also to keep the application in the running state for the time the computer user desires to keep received the information from the application in question. Furthermore, the computer user will need to keep many applications running continuously if the computer user desires to accomplish tasks implemented in different applications. Doing so, however, will require more computing resources and the running applications will also take screen space requiring the computer user to switch the applications back and forth from background to foreground in order to obtain desired information.
This issue is addressed by the development of mini desktop applications. These mini desktop applications are generally lightweight and can be run by simply rendering them on the display screen. When rendered on the display screen, these mini desktop applications visually appear to be the same as the desktop short-cut icons. However, contrary to the desktop short-cut icon, the graphical icon or picture provided by the mini desktop is an active display of information. The difference between a normal desktop application corresponding to a desktop short-cut and a graphical icon or picture corresponding to a mini desktop application can be better illustrated by the following example. A normal desktop short-cut for a laptop battery state indicator will not continuously show the current state of the battery. Only way to get the battery state information is to launch the application. Whereas, a desktop icon or picture on the desktop corresponding to a battery state indicator mini application will continuously show the state of battery through changing information on the picture or icon, without a need to any user action.
These mini desktop applications are also called “widgets”. The term “widget” can refer to any icon or graphical interface element that is manipulated by the computer user to perform a desired function.
A problem arises when the computer user tries to use several of these mini applications because putting too many of these mini applications on the computer user's display screen makes the display screen cluttered, thereby making the organization, management and use of these mini applications a cumbersome task.